Freshman CPAs in Congress Committed to Bipartisanship

Published March 27, 2013

American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) President and CEO Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, visited with several members of Congress in February and came away impressed with the bipartisan spirit of new lawmakers who are CPAs.

In a recent interview with Roll Call, newly-elected Rep. Patrick Murphy (D- FL) said, “This freshman class is going to work in a bipartisan manner. We’re not the last Congress – that was the ‘my way or the highway’ mentality. We want to work together.”

Demonstrating his commitment to bipartisanship, Murphy told Melancon that he and fellow freshman legislator Tom Rice (R-SC) had crossed party lines to sit together in the House chamber during the President’s State of the Union address.

Murphy and Rice are among the lawmakers who have joined a bipartisan caucus of accountants for the 113th Congress. A press release announcing the organization of the Congressional Caucus on CPAs and Accountants noted that the caucus will allow Congress’ 12 CPAs and accountants a forum to discuss and advance innovative policies on issues affecting CPAs, including tax administration and compliance, accounting and auditing standards. The caucus’ members will also use their accountancy experience to provide input on budgetary and fiscal issues.

“We all know how contentious the political environment is on Capitol Hill at the moment. And that makes the early bipartisan actions of Representatives Murphy and Rice so impressive,” Melancon explained. “Along with other caucus members, they will bring their experience as CPAs to bear on our most pressing economic issues. The profession – and the nation as a whole – is fortunate to have them representing us.”

For more information about the caucus, see the Feb. 15 Journal of Accountancyarticle.